Dialin: Casual Use and On the Road

Is your Internet use from home casual? Are you willing to have your telephone line tied up while you're on line or to spring for a second telephone line (or third, if there are teenagers involved!)?

If your answer to both questions is yes, then your best bet is a dialin ISP that:

• Has several sets of dialin lines that are in your local calling area (and in locations that you normally travel to) and
• Provides the complete standard set of Internet services. (AOL doesn't.)

The ACCC provides both dialin lines and other Internet services, so do consider us if you're choosing a traditional dialin ISP. But don't use the ACCC dialin lines just because they're "free." Unless you live close enough to campus that your calls to the campus are not metered (i.e., you're charged by the call, not by the minute), the ACCC isn't the ISP for you. Using a commercial dialin ISP will probably cost a lot less than the five cents or more per minute that you'd be charged for the phone call to use our free lines.

The Web is the place to go when you're selecting a commercial dialin ISP.

• The most complete online listing is modestly called "The List": http://thelist.internet.com/
  It allows you to search for local ISPs in several different ways; perhaps the most useful is locating an ISP by telephone area code.
• The Dial-up Access link on CNET's "Web Services" page: http://webisplist.internetlist.com/
  This page has some interesting features, including a utility that allows you to select a group of ISPs and compare their services.
• Internet.com's "Directory of Internet Service Providers": http://boardwatch.internet.com/isp/
  This page is well organized and has a lot of background information including history of the Internet and a list of questions to ask when selecting a commercial ISP.
• ComputerUser.com also has a "Choosing an ISP" page:  http://www.currents.net/resources/isp/
  This site also has links to other ISP lists and a quick guide to using the Internet.

Oh, and if you don't have a 56 Kbps modem yet, now is the time to buy one. Most ISPs support 56 Kbps modems now; using a slower modem might cause problems with dropped connections. And there's finally an accepted international standard for 56 Kbps modems, ITU V.90. (For more information, see 56K Modem Central.)